Kerala's Best Farmer Award Winner Dies By Suicide
Unable to bear the burden of debt, he ended his life, says his brother
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a heartbreaking incident, a farmer from Cherupuzha, Kannur, took his own life by consuming pesticides due to mounting debt. Elias Ambat, 59, a native of Idavaramba and a past recipient of the state’s best farmer award from the Chief Minister, died follwoing multiple organ failure.
Irikkur MLA Sajeev Joseph claimed that delays in government aid contributed to the tragedy, while Elias’s brother Varkey revealed he had debts exceeding Rs 40 lakh. On the morning of February 11, Elias was found in critical condition after consuming a mix of pesticides and insecticides at his farm in Idavaramba.
He was admitted to a private hospital in Kannur but died on Sunday morning. Having cultivated vegetables for over 35 years, Elias was deeply burdened by financial stress, according to his brother.
Elias, a celebrated farmer who had won several honours, including the state award for best vegetable farmer, had been leasing and cultivating fallow lands. Unfortunately, he was hit hard by crop failure and falling prices. "The delays in government support, including subsidies, added to the severe financial strain," said the local MLA.
While undergoing treatment, Elias received Rs 1.4 lakh from the Agriculture Department, but he passed away before any real help could reach him. His brother Varkey said Elias had been farming 12 acres on lease, growing bitter gourd, snake gourd, long beans, okra, cucumber, yellow cucumber, ash gourd, pumpkin, and plantain. “My brother went into severe financial distress after last year’s low crop prices and damage to the harvest,” he said.
Elias had organized a small harvest festival last November at his farm, where over a hundred people, including fellow farmers, gathered in Cherupuzha to celebrate the season’s bounty. His death has deeply shocked the farming community in the high-range panchayats of Kannur and Kasargod districts. “We have lost one of the best farmers of our panchayat,” said ward member Saji.
“Farming was Elias’s passion. He cared for his crops with dedication and patiently awaited the harvest. We never saw him sad. His death is unbelievable,” recalled a neighbor.